Author's Note: Hmmm…not many people reading this, at least according to my 'story traffic'. Still, I hope those of you who do are enjoying the mystery. I'm certainly having fun telling it!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of "Storm Hawks", nor am I making any type of profit from this story. It is a work of fan fiction, for enjoyment only.

Chapter 11 - Hatching a Plan

The next morning found Stork bruised and battered, but upright. He was sitting up, propped on pillows, as he picked half-heartedly at his breakfast. It seemed that, no matter where you went, hospital food always left something to be desired. With a sigh he pushed the tray away and wondered when his team would arrive to get him out.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than there was a quiet tapping at the door.

"Come in?" he hazarded. The doctors and nurses didn't knock, and his team weren't really the 'knocking' type - more the 'barging in without apology' type.

To his surprise, Finn and Junko appeared from the hallway. The sharpshooter gestured triumphantly towards the Merb as he addressed his large buddy, "See? I told you he'd be awake!"

The Wallop ignored him, staring at Stork with concern. In a stage whisper he asked, "Hey, Stork, you OK?"

Stork snorted wryly, then winced as the movement caused his ribs to twinge. "Nothing a few days rest on the Condor won't cure. Please tell me you're here to get me out."

"You bet. The nurse will be here any minute with a wheelchair, and I brought you a spare set of clothes." The blonde held up a previously-unnoticed bag that he'd been carrying, then tossed it onto Stork's lap.

"Need any help getting dressed?" asked Junko worriedly.

The Merb smirked slightly. "I've been getting dressed by myself for years now. It just may take me a little longer today. Why don't you two wait in the hall to intercept the nurse when she arrives?"

"Yeah, wouldn't want her to see you in all your glory," joked Finn. "She could die of shock!"

Stork smiled and studiously examined the contents of Finn's bag as his friends left the room. Clearly the blonde was just the delivery-boy; someone had put a lot of thought into the clothing selected. A soft, loose shirt that would be easily pulled over his head; baggy, elastic-waisted trousers; and his favorite fuzzy slippers emerged one by one from the depths. The final item was a pair of protective darkened goggles which he slipped on with a sigh - even the light in the ceiling hurt his eyes today; who knew what bright sunlight would feel like? As he finished dressing, he concluded that only Piper would have gone to so much trouble, and his heart warmed a bit in response.

"OK, it's safe to enter!" he called out, pulling on his second slipper. The door flew open, with a grinning Finn pushing a wheelchair in front of him.

Stork looked at the conveyance suspiciously. "Ummm…I thought you said a nurse was going to wheel me out?"

"Ah, she had other things to do. Besides, with me driving this chair, you don't have a thing to worry about!" He grinned widely as Junko and Stork exchanged dubious glances.

Looking from one to the other, Finn finally frowned and shrugged, surrendering the wheelchair to Junko. "Fine, then, but you don't know what you're missing. It could be the ride of your life!"

Settling slowly into the seat, Stork muttered, "That's exactly what I'm afraid of." Looking at the door through his darkened lenses, he nodded. "All right, Junko, let's go home."

For such a big Wallop, Junko could be surprisingly gentle. The trip outside the building was accomplished with nary a bump, and before he knew it, Stork was settled into the sidecar of Aerrow's ride. Aerrow grinned over at him as he started up the engine. "Don't worry, Stork, we'll take it easy."

The Sky Knight was as good as his word; the trip was so smooth, in fact, that Stork found that he'd fallen asleep for the majority of it. He startled awake as the bike touched down, twinging several of his fractured ribs in the process. Holding his side, he took small, shallow breaths as they rolled to a halt.

"Stork, you OK there, buddy?" asked Aerrow as he shut down the engine.

"Nevermind me; I just moved wrong, is all." The Merb tried to wave off the concern.

"Well, let's get you out of there," decided Junko, who had landed next to the redhead. Bending over, he carefully scooped their pilot into his arms and carried him, for the second time that week, to his bed.

Piper had made the cleanup of Stork's room her personal priority. She knew how upset he'd be over the damage to the ship elsewhere, but his personal room was his haven and home. By the time he returned from the hospital, the place was spotless and had a working heater. Stork snuggled under his covers with a contented sigh, and was soon fast asleep.

Tiptoeing out of the room, the group made their way to the foredeck to discuss plans to capture the traitor.

----------Stmhwks------------

It took a few days to complete repairs, then another day to fully inspect the work. In the meantime, the Eye of Siam was kept in a locked, double-guarded safe in the Senate building. As Piper predicted, no further 'raider attacks' occurred since the bandits had been exposed as Cyclonians. Stork was up and hobbling around, albeit slowly and stiffly, and insisted on personally reexamining every nut and bolt of his home. No one begrudged him the added reassurance, and in fact, the entire group felt safer for it.

"So, what do you think?" asked Finn, hands on hips.

"She's as safe as she ever was; I can't find any signs of tampering, and some of the long-standing…problems…have been fixed as well." Stork sat down heavily on the bridge couch, stretching his aching leg in front of himself with a sigh.

"Stork? You OK?" asked Aerrow, glancing over from Piper's map table, where he and the specialist had been quietly refining their plans for capturing the traitor.

The pilot waved his hand in the air dismissively. "It's nothing. Just tired." His eyes narrowed in consideration as he rubbed his chin, "Although it could be the first stages of swamp gas fever…"

Aerrow ducked his head and chuckled, reassured. If Stork was coming up with wild, hypochondriacal diagnoses again, he must be feeling better.

"Although, with what I've been through since we've arrived on this terra, exhaustion is more likely…"

Piper's face clouded at the memory of the two close calls her friend had had in as many weeks. "We're going to do something about that…" she hissed under her breath.

She had forgotten that Stork's large ears weren't just for decoration. "So, you have a plan to catch them?" he asked expectantly.

The specialist looked at the notes spread over the table as she answered, "More of the beginnings of a plan…"

"The Cyclonians are probably long gone, their 'bandit' ruse having been exposed. But I'll wager Master Cyclonis still wants the Eye of Siam." Aerrow pounded his fist into his hand for emphasis. "Dark Ace will probably put pressure on his 'inside man' to steal it for them, either by blackmailing him or offering a 'too good to be true' reward." He paused, then continued, "We just have to provide the opportunity, and let their accomplice hang himself."

"Well I say we just have the jewel 'secretly' transported again - and this time we'll be ready!" Finn had joined the group and immediately felt the need to contribute.

"Too obvious," frowned Piper.

"But its current location is too well protected," complained Aerrow, throwing his hands into the air.

"That's the problem…" pondered the young woman, tapping her notes.

Stork took that opportunity to ask a question from his position on the couch. "So…what's this Eye of Siam used for, anyway? Why does everyone want it?"

Piper entered full-professor mode. "Apart from the sheer power inherent in a crystal of that size and purity, the Eye of Siam is best known for its heating properties. Each year, prior to the arrival of winter, Terra Gnossus recharges all its heating plants from this single crystal, thus saving the terra from the cost of buying other, smaller crystals, or even fuel to heat their homes."

"So…is that why it was being transported to Central City?" Finn was understandably confused.

Piper snapped her fingers. "Of course! And the central heating plant still hasn't been recharged, because the Eye has been under triple security in the Senate building since its arrival here."

"But, sooner or later, they're going to have to take it out of 'protective custody' and use it…" followed Aerrow.

"And that's when we'll catch the crook!" completed Piper. "We just have to make sure that the crystal is used when we say so."

Stork gulped audibly. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

Piper looked over at him and grinned.

--------Stmhwks-----------

Aerrow and Piper were all business as they entered Counselor Trob's office. The leader of Terra Gnossus stood and extended a hand in welcome, despite his worried expression. "It's good to see you, Storm Hawks. How are the repairs on your ship proceeding?"

Aerrow smiled tightly. "The work is complete; I just want to carefully inspect the entire ship before we lift off for the first time…in light of our prior problems."

"Surely that won't take too long," replied the Counsellor conversationally, resuming his seat and gesturing for his guests to sit as well.

"Normally, that's true. But no one knows the Condor like Stork, and, as you know, he's still somewhat…indisposed."

The Gnossian steepled his fingertips, brow creased in concern. "And how is your pilot? The hospital led me to believe that he was back on his feet."

Piper combed her hand through her dark hair. "He was. But once we got him back to the ship, he overtaxed himself, causing a relapse. He's going to be stuck in bed eating strained soup for at least a week."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Please extend my wishes for a rapid recovery." At the teens' nods, he continued. "Now, young lady, about the theory you expressed to me in the hospital…"

"Yes, sir." She waited expectantly to see where he was going with the thought.

"I find it difficult to believe that any of my officers are working with the Cyclonians, yet, the more I consider the evidence, the more convinced I become that you are correct."

Both Piper and Aerrow let out the breath they had been holding in a whoosh of relief. Not that the plan depended upon Trob believing them, but it would make it much easier if he did. Of course, there was always the chance that he himself was the traitor…Piper hoped not; she rather liked the older man.

"However," he continued, "that leads us to the problem at hand. Namely, having the crystal is useless is we cannot use it at our refueling station, for fear of theft from the inside."

"Yes, sir. We understand that." Aerrow nodded enthusiastically. "We have a plan, but it will take the utmost secrecy…"

-----------Stmhwks-------------

"Gee, Piper, I'm not too sure about this…." hazarded Stork. It was the next day, and everyone had gathered around the Specialist's map table to go over the final details. While the rest of the team listened intently, Stork couldn't help questioning his role.

"Stork, it has to be you. We've been playing up your injuries to the Gnossians ever since we brought you home from the hospital. Even Trob thinks you're a complete invalid for at least another week. That's why you're the perfect person to hide out in advance in the control room of the refueling station; no one will be expecting you." Piper looked at him apologetically. "When this is all over, I promise to make two dozen sandcakes, just for you."

"Bribery will get you everywhere," the Merb muttered under his breath, then sighed loudly. "All right. Show me that air duct again."

Piper and Aerrow exchanged triumphant grins as she pointed to the blueprint. "Here. You'll access it tonight from outside, at this location." She flipped the chart and pointed. "From there you travel down two levels, through this junction, then over to this vent." Her finger traced out the imaginary route. "I already managed to loosen the screws that hold the grate in place, so it should be easy to remove. You'll also be wearing a headset, so you can contact me for any questions or if you run into any problems."

She fixed him with her intense eyes. "After you make sure you can get out into the control room, just wait inside the vent. We're scheduled to escort the Eye itself into the chamber tomorrow morning. There will be too many guards along the entire route for our insider to make a move, but, once we reach the actual recharging room, there will only be enough space for the head technician, Aerrow, and a few select Gnossians. I'd bet money that our sell-out makes his move then."

"Why can't I be waiting in the air duct, too?" whined Finn, anxious to strike back at the person responsible for nearly killing his friend.

"And me!" enthused Junko.

Piper smiled at their eagerness, but shook her head. "Sorry, Junko, but you won't even fit. And, given the trouble we've had so far, it would look suspicious if we weren't all present to guard the crystal to and from the Senate building." Slyly glancing at the Merb, she concluded, "At least, all of us but Stork. After all, he's an invalid right now…"

Stork grimaced, but nodded his head with a sigh. "I don't like it, but I'll do it. There are just so many ways this can go wrong, I can't even count them all."

TBC…

AN: We're nearing the end…just a few more chapters to go.